Short answer. Three penalties apply together: prisión correccional in its minimum period, special temporary disqualification in its minimum period, and a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand pesos, the amount as revised by RA 10951 in 2017. Article 237 applies once the officer keeps exercising office powers past the period fixed for it.
What the law says
Any public officer who shall continue to exercise the duties and powers of his office, employment or commission, beyond the period provided by law, regulation or special provisions applicable to the case, shall suffer the penalties prisión correccional in its minimum period, special temporary disqualification in its minimum period and a fine not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000).
Revised Penal Code, Article 237 — Prolonging Performance Of Duties. Read the full provision →
The conduct: staying in office past the fixed period
Article 237 targets a public officer who shall continue to exercise the duties and powers of his office, employment or commission, beyond the period provided by law, regulation or special provisions applicable to the case. The trigger is continuing past whatever specific period governs that particular office or commission — a fixed term, an appointment period, or whatever deadline the relevant law, regulation, or special provision sets.
Three penalties, imposed together
Article 237 imposes three consequences at once rather than a single penalty: prisión correccional in its minimum period, special temporary disqualification in its minimum period and a fine. All three apply together on conviction — imprisonment, a separate disqualification from holding office, and a fine — rather than the court choosing among them for the officer found liable under this article.
The fine reflects RA 10951's 2017 revision
The fine is capped at One hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000), and that figure is the amount as revised by Republic Act No. 10951, enacted in 2017, which updated the fines and property values used throughout the Revised Penal Code. Older reproductions of the Code may still show the original, smaller 1930 figure, so anyone applying this article should confirm they are working from the amount as revised by RA 10951.
Why the rule targets the period, not the office itself
The article is not about whether someone validly held the office, employment, or commission in question — it is about continuing to act after the period allowed for exercising it has run out. An officer whose term, appointment, or authorization has a defined endpoint set by law, regulation, or a special provision is expected to stop exercising those powers once that endpoint passes, and Article 237 attaches these three penalties specifically to failing to do so, regardless of how the office was originally acquired.